The Relevance of Storytelling in Your Job Search

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Oct. 3, 2011, 8:12 PM

Let me tell you a story…

About a young job seeker (or was he old? I can't remember…) who was looking for the perfect job. He found many opportunities that fit him perfectly, but found the hiring process frustrating when the potential employer didn't seem too enthusiastic and passed him over. He knows he has the skills, the resume, what's left?

That job seeker might have a lot of things going for him, but he might not be captivating employers with his story. Like it or not, when competition is up, job seekers need to give employers more and more reasons to hire them, including a good (completely, totally factual) story.

What does it mean to tell a story?

The dictionary defines the word story as "a narration of an incident or a series of events or an example of these that is or may be narrated, as an anecdote, joke, etc." In layman's terms, a story connects its parts into one whole.

Why does storytelling help the job search?

If I were to tell you about this kid named Harry, who had magical powers, learned a few things at this school, and beat the bad guy, you wouldn't be too enthralled, would you? However, if you were to read one of the books written about Harry and his magical adventures, you might change your tune.

The same goes for your job search. Simply presenting an employer with facts about yourself ("I was an intern for a while, then I started working as an assistant, and then I did some work as a manager…") is kind of like writing a microwave manual. Fragmented bits and pieces isn't compelling and just kind of is what it is.

If you took that sentence and made a (completely factual) story out of it, like, "I started working for ABC Company as an intern, learned a lot about the company, and was quickly promoted to an assistant position. After I sold the most units in on quarter, I was again promoted to manager, where I lead 15 people in the department." Doesn't that sound like the job seeker cares more about their own work history? Would you rather hire the first example or the second?

How can I use storytelling in my job search?

Great, now that you know how important it is to craft a story in your job search, it's time to exercise your new skills in multiple parts of your job search. Tell an inspirational anecdote in your cover letter, spin a yarn for your profile statement, and equip yourself with several compelling examples for that interview you have coming up.

What do you think?How important do you feel storytelling is in your job search? Should it be left out altogether? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Gerrit Hall is the CEO and co-founder of RezScore, a free web application that reads, analyzes, and grades resumes - instantly. Gerrit has successfully combined his passion for computer science and the careers space by helping job seekers write the best resume possible. You can connect with Gerrit and RezScore on Facebook and Twitter.